Joe Silva's Shoes: What's next for the UFC Fight Night 29 winners?

The UFC traveled to the MMA hotbed of Brazil for the 11th time on Wednesday night for “UFC Fight Night 29: Maia vs. Shields,” which went down inside Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo.

Jake Shields (29-6-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) had his hand raised for the fourth time under the UFC banner with a split-decision victory over Demian Maia (18-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) in the main event of the evening after a grappling-heavy affair, which went all five rounds.

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next. And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Joe Silva’s (and Sean Shelby’s) shoes, and play UFC matchmaker.

Raphael Assuncao
Should Fight: Brad Pickett
Why They Should Fight: Generally, a five-fight UFC winning streak like the one Raphael Assuncao finds himself on after defeating T.J. Dillashaw (8-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is enough to earn a title shot – especially in a thin division like bantamweight.

Unfortunately for Assuncao, the top of the division is still a mess with Dominick Cruz‘s (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) return date not set and interim champ Renan Barao (31-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) likely to wait for “The Dominator” to get healthy.

The division’s two highest ranked fighters behind Cruz and Barao are Urijah Faber (29-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Michael McDonald (16-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who are set to square off at UFC on FOX 9 in December.

With the top guys focused on the tasks at hand, Assuncao is the odd man out at 135 pounds, and waiting an undetermined amount of time to see how things shake out doesn’t seem like the ideal option.

That’s where Brad Pickett (23-8 MMA, 3-3 UFC) enters the equation.

It typically doesn’t make a lot of sense to match a fighter on a solid streak of victories against one coming off a loss, but at this point, there are few other logical pairings in the bantamweight division,

The UFC will never stop pushing Pickett toward the top due to his potential to become the organization’s first English-born champion, and if he were to defeat Assuncao it immediately puts him back on the short-list of contenders.

For Assuncao, the advantage in accepting a fight with Pickett is the opportunity to face a well-known name who brings an exciting style of fighting to the octagon.

A win over Pickett could possibly earn Assuncao a title fight, but if nothing else, it would at least increase his name value and earn him the chance to face someone very near to the top like the winner of Faber and McDonald.

Fabio Maldonado
Should Fight: Ovince St. Preux
Why They Should Fight: Ovince St. Preux (14-5 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has the potential to make some noise in the light heavyweight division, but he needs more time to develop against opponents of his own caliber.

There aren’t many mid-level light heavyweights on the UFC roster that can be used to build up a fighter like St. Preux, but Fabio Maldonado is certainly one of the few on hand.

Even though he has one of the most fan-pleasing fighting styles in the sport, it’s unlikely Maldonado will ever become a contender. But with that said, he is still very useful to test the ceiling for fighters like St. Preux.

Thiago Silva
Should Fight: Winner of Ryan Jimmo vs. Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night 30
Why They Should Fight: Thiago Silva is definitely not in the UFC’s good graces after having some sort of black cloud hanging over what seems like every one of his fights in the past few years.

While Silva’s drug test results or weigh in results may not be consistent, what is consistent about the Brazilian is his style of fighting.

Silva is one of the true bangers in the weight class and is willing to slug it out with anyone, which ultimately helps his standing with the company.

There’s little chance Silva will be rewarded with a top-10 opponent after his underwhelming decision win over Matt Hamill (11-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC), but there are still several compelling matchups for the 30-year-old to participate in.

One of those potential matchups would be against the winner of Jimi Manuwa (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Ryan Jimmo (18-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who are set to slug it out at UFC Fight Night 30 later this month.

While either potential fight has intriguing qualities, a striking matchup between Silva and Manuwa is an idea to salivate over.

If Silva and the winner of Manuwa vs. Jimmo are healthy, this is a fight that should happen as soon as possible and has all the makings for a highlight reel finish.

With an impressive 9-2 record with the organization, Kim has proven he’s going to be a mainstay in the UFC for the foreseeable future, particularly after providing one of the few breathtaking moments at UFC Fight Night 29 with his knockout of Silva.

Even though Kim put Silva away in devestating fashion, he was hardly dominating before the finish, which indicates he’s not quite ready for the elite of the division.

Someone Kim could continue his progression in the division against is John Hathaway (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), a fighter who, like Silva, is a highly regarded up-and-comer in the weight class.

Hathaway is one of the biggest welterweight fighters on the UFC roster and possesses solid offense skills along with sound defense. “The Hitman” would present an interesting challenge to Kim, as his size may be able to counter the smothering style of the South Korean.

It wouldn’t be a pushover for either fighter and it would be fascinating to see if Kim could continue his surge up the rankings against the very tough Brit.

Jake Shields
Should Fight: Winner of Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler at UFC 167
Why They Should Fight: It may not always be pretty, but Jake Shields continues to rack up victories inside the octagon and is now undefeated in his past four fights.

It would have been easy to write Shields off as a contender following his title loss to Georges St-Pierre and subsequent knockout at the hands of Jake Ellenberger just weeks after the death of his father, but the American has rallied back and is a name that cannot be ignored at 170 pounds.

The former Strikeforce champion walked into enemy territory in Brazil against hometown hero Demian Maia and was able to edge out a split decision win for what is easily the most significant victory of his UFC career.

Shields has admitted to wanting to make one more run toward a UFC championship, and at 34 years of age, it’s now or never.

Facing the winner of next month’s Rory MacDonald (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) vs. Robbie Lawler (21-9 MMA, 6-3 UFC) matchup would be the ideal situation for Shields, as both men are on hot-streaks and have been included in discussions when it comes to the few potential title challengers in the weight class.

Shields would be the perfect challenge for either MacDonald or Lawler, as his neutralizing style of fighting is something similar, albeit less effective, to that of the champion St-Pierre.

And even though Shields already holds a victory over Lawler from several years ago, it’s safe to say they are different fighters at this point.

Either matchup would be significant to the future of the weight class and the winner would have the resume worthy of an opportunity to compete for the UFC belt at 170 pounds.

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